TransCanada Corp. (NYSE: TRP), which I had placed in the high-risk category earlier this, is now a moderate-risk play, and I'm also reiterating my Buy rating for it, first recommended on May 11, 2009, at a price of $26.56.

TransCanada is a natural gas play with promise: it's a natural gas transmission and storage company that also owns oil assets and electric power generation assets (including 19 wholly-owned power plants). A solid $1.41 annual dividend adds to the positive story.

"Our focus this summer remains on building positions in the bombed-out natural gas market; there's no other commodity this depressed, this unwanted and trading at such distressed levels," says resource expert Eric Roseman.

In his industry-leading, The Commodity Trend Alert, he explains, "Indeed, the bombed-out natural gas sector is screaming 'buy'." Here, he looks at TransCanada Corp. (NYSE: TRP).

"The way prices have been heading over the last several months you'd think the world doesn't use this clean-burning fossil fuel anymore.

"Natural gas prices remain 70% off their 52-week high and more than 75% below their all-time highs almost four years ago when Hurricane Katrina smashed the Gulf of Mexico.

TransCanada Corp. (NYSE: TRP) is a natural gas play with promise, but macroeconomic hurdles and a highly leverage balanced sheet make it suitable for high-risk investors only.

TransCanada is a natural gas transmission and storage company that also owns oil assets and electric power generation assets (including 19 wholly owned power plants), among other operations.

I am the Global Editor at MoneyShow.com and each week I interview an investing expert. This week, I spoke with Gordon Pape, editor of The Canada Report, who thinks Toronto may have seen its lows, and he's cautiously optimistic on the loonie, too.

Q. Gordon, since we last spoke, global markets have lost nearly half their value, and the Toronto Stock Exchange's Composite Index has dropped from more than 15,000 to just over 8,700. Have we hit bottom?

A. We are cautiously optimistic, but the recent trillion-dollar bond purchase plan announced by the Federal Reserve is great news for Canada. The flood of cash will likely spur inflation, drive down the value of the US dollar, and raise the price of commodities. It's no surprise that gold [rose] almost $60 an ounce and oil [got] back over $50 a barrel. The Canadian stock market is heavily weighted to commodities, so we are seeing a big lift. I still expect a lot of volatility in the coming months. However, the March 6th TSE low of 7,480 may turn out to have been the bottom for this cycle.

Shares of were trading near record highs when ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) started off the new year by announcing that it expected fourth quarter production results to exceed those of the third quarter. But it was good news/bad news for the company this past week.

The good news: The Wall Steet Journal reported that Conoco was now the front-runner to participate in a multiyear, $10 billion project to develop the Shah natural-gas field in Abu Dhabi, beating out such rivals as Occidental Petroleum (NYSE: OXY) and Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS.A). Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. had been expected to name a partner for the project last year, and oil companies have become frustrated by the delays. Abu Dhabi is trying to meet rising demand for natural gas, which has surged with the building of gas-fired power stations and desalination plants.

The bad news: The company's donation of $5 million to a local cancer center apparently did not impress Alaska state officials sufficiently to allow Conoco to go forward with its nonconforming proposal for a natural gas pipeline project in that state's North Slope. Conoco's proposal had requested that state taxes be fixed on the project for decades, which prompted Governor Sarah Palin to send Conoco a rejection letter. The rejection left TransCanada Corp. (NYSE: TRP) as the sole finalist for the project.

Conoco shares have fallen 5.96% since the beginning of the year, and closed Friday at $83.04.

MOST NOTEWORTHY UPGRADES:

• Brean Murray upgraded Consolidated Water (NASDAQ: CWCO) to Buy from Hold, based on valuation.

MOST NOTEWORTHY DOWNGRADES:

• Magellan Midstream Partners (NYSE: MMP) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy by Goldman Sachs.
• Goldman also downgraded TransCanada (NYSE: TRP) to Neutral from Buy.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Time Warner Cable (TWC) and Molecular Insight Pharmaceuticals (MIPI) were today's more notable initiations:

• Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) was initiated at Bernstein with an Outperform rating and $46 target, citing a compelling diversification alternative for cable/CMCS investors. Goldman started Time Warner Cable with a Neutral rating and $44 target.

• Molecular Insight Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: MIPI) was initiated at RBC with an Outperform rating and $18 target. RBC said Molecular Insight is a leader in developing and commercializing superior radiopharmaceuticals for the treatment and management of life-threatening diseases. Jefferies initiated shares of Molecular Insight with a Buy rating and $20 target, saying Zemiva has blockbuster potential.

OTHER INITIATIONS:

• UBS started Amedisys, Inc (NASDAQ: AMED) with aBuy rating and $39 target.

• Goldman Sachs initiated TransCanada (NYSE: TRP) with a Buy rating.

• Credit Suisse initiated Tim Hortons Inc (NYSE: THI) with an Outperform rating.

• Pacific Growth initiated Ormat Technologies, Inc (NYSE: ORA) with a Buy rating.

Analyst summaries provided by TheFlyOnTheWall.com (subscription required).